Alo—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 10,1981
Showing isn’t worth it?
Have your ears been ringing lately? What
you may have been hearing are the murmurs
from the masses these days whispering
whether or not the public needs or wants a
Keystone International Livestock Exposition.
Although these little^ripples may not be too
disconcerting at the present time, if enough
non-farm people -jump onto the idea,
legislative support for not only KILE but other
farm shows in Pennsylvania could be 1 * wiped
out.
The main argument being voiced by the non
farm undercurrents is that the public has
shown it doesn’t want to spend any tax dollars
on KILE. People don't come out in droves to
see the parade of pigs, cattle, horses, and
sheep like they do at Farm Show time.’ It’s
even being said that if the show is strictly for
the farmers then let them pay for it.
Whether they realize it or not, the public
needs shows like KILE and the All-American
Dairy Show. Why? Because shows of this
caliber bring in out-of-state exhibitors to look
at and buy Pennsylvania livestock a source
of taxable income.
Shows also pit breeder against breeder,
ranking .the quality of livestock in the
showring, and ultimately giving the producer a
yardstick by which to measure improvement in
a breeding program. Eventually the average
citizen will benefit from all this grooming and
glitter through better pork cuts, beef, and
lamb (horses are still for pleasure not pot
roasts, at least under U.S. standards).
Without KILE and the All-American, Penn
sylvania livestock producers would have only
the January Farm Show for competition in a
large-scale show, and Farm Show’s limited to
only Pennsylvania entries. To see how their
livestock would stack up against other animals
around the country, Pennsylvanians would
have to spend more money to take their ‘prize
winners’ out of state lost revenue for the
Keystone state.
Many people believe that the livestock
producers contribute nothing to KILE and that
the $75,000 allocated by the state legislature
through the Department of Agriculture runs
the whole show. Not true. The working budget
of this year’s KILE rang in at a $265,000 total.
The difference between those two figures is
made up by advertising, premium list sales,
booth space, entry fees, and carcass stepr
NOW IS THE TIME
To Utilize Corn Fodder
Com growers who are not
making the crop into silage might
consider the making of com stalks
into bedding material. The market
value of all livestock bedding is
quite high, and can be used on the
farm or sold to others. After the
com is picked and the stalks dry,
the com can be shredded and
baled.
This material makes very good
bedding for box stalls and feed lot
pens; the fodder absorbs water
rapidly and when shredded gives
less trouble in mechanical han
dling. When used on the farm as
bedding, it can still be returned to
the soil as added organic matter.
To Keep Pigs Warm
The extremely cold weather the
Off the
Somtiimg
By Shejla Miller, Editor
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
Phone 717-394-6851
past three winters has resulted in
high pig losses in many feed lots.
Most farrowing operations have
supplemental heat in the building
to keep the baby pigs warm.
However, when they are sold to the
fattening operation, they often do
not have warm enough quarters.
We urge that feeders be sure the
pigs are comfortable; when they
pile up in cold weather, they are
too cold. Some of the things that
can be done to keep them warm is
to insulate sidewalls, use solid
partitions and use hovers over
their sleeping quarters.
Cold pigs mean respiratory and
digestive troubles. When they are
warm enough they will spread out
in the sleeping area. Check the
temperature down at floor level,
sales by the Pennsylvania Livestock
Association and other groups.
The AII-Ame/ican comes in slightly under
KILE with a working budget of $150,000 and a
legislative contribution of $60,000.
What would happen if suddenly the state
legislature was lobbied to drop ag show
fundings and allocations were cut completely
for KILE and the All-American? Chances are
the shows would manage to hobble through at
least another year but that struggle would
probably finish them.
Like everything else, show budgets are hit
with inflation and soaring prices. Premiums
need to be raised in order to continue to at
tract exhibitors and make it worthwhile to
spend hundreds of dollars on livestock in
surance, shots, transportation, food, lodging,
and everything else it takes to survive on the
show road.
Next year’s KILE is tentatively set for
November 5-10, pushed back from the earlier
m-the-year scheduling of the past two years
due to the "tightness of the Farm Show
calendar." This time frame will line up more
closely with the North American International
Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Kentucky,
rather than the Eastern National at Timonium
and the Virginia State Fair.
Next year school children from around the
Harrisburg area will have an extra day or so to
pet and peek at the hundreds of farm animals
that fill the Farm Show Complex during KILE.
These 1,500 to 2,000 urban students who
take a tour through the barns, some who have
never seen a pig or cow before, leave the
livestock show with a new understanding or at
least a curiosity about these animals and the
farming way of life.
And what about those 4-H and FFA students
who come to the All-American and KILE to
participate in judging contests? Where else
could they travel for such a short distance and
have assembled around them an equally top
notch group of animals for their evaluation?
Yes, we still need livestock shows in Penn
sylvania even if we can’t draw the crowds that
stream into those fabulous shows out West.
Promoting our livestock and dairy industries,
two of our Commonwealth’s most important
revenue resources, is well worth the in
vestment for all Pennsylvanians.
not at man-high level.
National. 4-H Week runs through
this week - October 4 through 10.1
wish to commend the over 3,000 4-H
members, volunteer leaders and
professional youth workers 'for
their accomplishments and service
to Lancaster County.
Through 4-H projects and ac
tivities, youth from all social and
economic backgrounds, both rural
and urban, demonstrate that they
can make a difference in food
production, conservation of our
national resources, improve
economic understanding, and in
the formulation of future career
decisions. As a result of the fine
exchange- programs, 4-H also-
Board
Peepin’ rrx
at the fto
farm
picture
To Salute 4-H
(Turn to PageAl2)
OUR OWN SOUR GRAPES
October 11,1981
Background Scriptures
Jeremiah 30 through 31.
Devotional Heading;
John6:4l-bl.
- Stop and think tor a moment
may be it won’t take you very long
with this question: "Who most ot
ail is responsible for the mess
we’re in today?”
What "mess”? Just pick up your
daily newspaper and there are
seemingly endless possibilities.
You can probably tick them ott
without any prompting at-all. Your
list won’t be exactly the same as
mine, but there will be a lot ot
similarities, I’m sure. Nor will all
ot us ever agree on who are the
culprits. For some of us, it’s the
ultra-rightists m the world; tor
others',- it’s the leftists and
"pinkos.” Others,see Big Business
as the bogeyman, while others
point the linger at Big Labor. The
list ot villains is almost'as long as
the catalogue ot messes we at
tribute to them, but usually each ot
us has a favorite culprit:
"Everything would be a lot better
in this world i community,
business, nation, etc.) if we Could
do something about the (you till-in
the blank).
THE CHILDREN'S TEETH ON
EDGE
The prophet Jeremiah was
aware ot this scapegoating ten
dency in human nature and he
recalled an old saying:
*‘The fathers have eaten sour
OUR READERS WRITE,
AND OTHER OPINIONS
Clear tvater?
I am writing to clarify some mis
statements, if not in fact false
statements, in the October 3, 1981
editorial, “Who needs a water
bill?"
The editorial states, “HB 1483
calls for monitoring the con-
HAV HAWS
"You asked for a larger premium check and you got it. Now
what's the complaint. Hooper?”
grapes,* and the children's teeth
are setunedge.” (31:29).
We still teel that way today,
don’t we; someone -else, some
villain, has done something evil
and we are the ones.who are made
to pay tor it. But Jeremiah knew
that old saying to be seit-deception
and the time had come tor the
people ot Israel to stop pushing the
blame on someone else tor the
messes in which they tound
themselves: "But every man shall
die tor his own sin; each man who
eats sour grapes, tus teeth shall be
set on edge” (JO;JU). It in our
tamiJy, our job, our community,
our nation, our world we are
having to eat sour grapes, they are
OUK sour grapes. Yes, the
Communists are godless and the
ultra : nghtists are tascists; yes,
Big Business may be ruthless and
Big Labor may be corrupt; the
Democrats are generous with
other people’s money and the
Republicans are generous with
nothing—but it the world is not
what God created it to be we are
the ones who are responsible. Get
rid ot all those villains today and
the world will still be messed-up
tomorrow.
THEY SHALL ALL KNOW ME
The key to our situation or
situations is not to be tound in our
our ideologies,, our m
‘ stitutions, or even our leaders. The
key is in the nature ot humanity. It
you and I could make a list and get
God to get rid ot all those sinners
right now, we would not have
gotten rid ot sin, tor we carry that
within us.
But to-recognize our own sour
grapes is not to ordain dispair, but
hope. God still promises us in this
unpertect world: "1 wilTtorgive
their iniquity and 1 will remember
then - sin no more* 1 30:34).
Because he is God and despite the
tact that we are humaji, God can
still counsel hope; the day will
come when "They shall all know
me, trom the-least to the greatest,”
says the Lord.
sumption of volume users to insure
they don’t drain and strain the
short supply.”
That is not a true statement. HB
1483 states, Page 10 line 30, “The
State Water Plan shall include: (1)
A complete inventory of the water
resources of this Commonwealth
(Turn to Page Al 2)